Death & Damnation

GIGO

Le’Ve said I had to stay. I didn’t want to, I wanted to go home. Surrounded by smelly humans with nothing better to do than lie, cheat and steal. BAH! I don’t want to be here, I want to go home!

A stranger, he stunk of human, asked if I would be willing to help him. Le’Ve said the coffers could use a boost and then she said the words I dreaded. The words that have sliced through me like ice for over a decade.

“Your future is not with us. You have greater paths to follow.”

Why is it my fault that I’m better with a bow than Slaea? I thought for sure I would be the one who led my fellow rangers against the disgusting orcs and lying humans. I would be the one who protected the tribe. But no, just because that know-it-all Le’Ve announced that my path would take me away from home, here I am.

The only shiny is an orc, who is not an orc. He confuses and amuses. But that doesn’t change anything. Not by a long shot.

I would never dishonor my family and I would rather die than dishonor Le’Ve. So I stay.

I will try to make the best of it, but I hope my path leads me back home.

I can’t believe its all happening again.
I have been looking for her for what must be twenty years. I still can’t remember when I actually woke from my big sleep, so many years ago. Or why I seem to age so slow. I should be well into middle age. But I’m not. I have the physique of a mature man, a strong worker, not an aging serf. I wish I could remember.
But enough self pity. Something has changed. Now, at long last, I have seen someone. Well, two of someone. Back in my day, we, the dwarf Rigr, the priest Himung, the accursed paladin Conager, Vestra, my sister and Maul, my bear, travelled with a thief named Talina. She, along with the rest of us, were all overcome by the great evil that befell our party deep in the ruins of the undermountain. To say that we knew each other is an understatement, we had travelled together and faced evil many times and bore each others burdens for a handful of years before we were separated. But finally word came to me of one of my former kin.
I knew she would turn up here eventually. She can’t help it. Shiny things. Baubles. Coins. Precious things. Wherever they are, you will find her. Or rather, you won’t. It is what you don’t notice that gets your attention, if you know what you are looking for. Crowds of people. Ale flowing freely. Coin changing hands. Wherever these things are she will eventually turn up. Nice thing about a small town like this, there’s only one pub. So only one place to wait.
I didn’t fully know what I might do when I finally saw her again. I have not forgotten that you can never fully trust her. Not money, not companions, not the quest, certainly not your back. But you could always count on her to get through. To survive. I guess I’m not too surprised that she is the first of my companions to be found. Just disappointed. She is slippery at best, downright eel-like when it strikes her. WHen I saw her the first time, she may have already taken notice of me, but she made no show of it as she ghosted across the room to upstairs. Having waited a moment, I moved to head up the stairs and have her answer my hammer’s questions, only to be stopped by some popinjay ask me too many questions I cared not to be answering. Being a persistent thick-headed buffoon, by the time he shut his yam trap, Talina was headed down the stairs again. Only, she wasn’t. Nothing could have prepared me for this. It was someone who looked like Talina. Almost. This was not the same girl who went up the stairs. But it was.
By the time my brain had caught up with what was happening, I ws sitting on my stool, quaffing my ale, and she had sat down right next to me, and had begun speaking to me. Something I don’t believe the Talina I remember had ever done. With no show of recognition or usual snide remarks or condescending tone she usually wore. She had the right look, the right walk, the right voice, but the fact remained… this was not Talina. Having deduced that she had made arrangements with the smiling clod, I asked him a few questions, led him to believe I was interested in making that way myself, and retired for the night. Something was wrong, alright, but it would not be revealed what till the next day.
We set out at light, and the rain had settled for a moist and miserable setting, and we walked half a day’s march before things became interesting. the party gave notice of the figure that left after us at a turn in the road, and some of our party, myself included, decided to hang back and see when the figure would pass. The ranger, a wood elf, Fired a “warning shot” at the would-be shadow, and at last , I had a proper look at her. It was Talina all right. She had a twin, the other protected by the doltish Paladin in our midst. She was a rearguard Reemus the Popinjay had arranged. Having convinced the wood elf not to shoot her, I gave Talina a firm look so she would not be mistaken: I have questions. And you will answer them.
Upon making our way back to the group, proper introductions were made, and the story of the twins revealed. Talina, or Ta-Lina as she now says, has a twin, La-Tina. It is at this point that the greatest surprise of all was revealed to me, a fact of which all others pale, even over her being twins, pale twins at that. I was so shocked that I said nothing, a fact completely lost on all the others, oblivious as they are. As they were sharing names and skills, and the twins dothed their hoods, something became apparent. They were human. Completely human. Not interesting? Not intrigued? Well, let me explain.
They were totally and completely human. Not half-elf, not half-orc, fairy, wood elf, or any kind of other. Completely normal. Which is why I am so confused. So misled. You have to understand. Twenty years ago, Ta-Lina, or Talina, was an elf.
At least there won’t be any more surprises.

man I hate rain. we arrived at a tavern witch was lucky because I was not looking forword to putting up the tent. we pulled the switch so we don’t have to pay for bolth of us. we got a job whitch was awesome we need the money. ran into a guy who looks like the man my mom adventured with kind-ov. he has the same sigil as him anyway and the family name to boot I totally called it should have seen the look on his face priceless. these people are crazy one of them tried to kill me for no reason all because I didn’t want to walk with the group, man I need to work more on my ability to fade into the background. master would have been displeased (o well he is probably going to kill us anyway). we investigated the couch found a trail it lead to a overgrown building and dispatched the guards disarmed a trap (I rock) ran into a crawling guy being chased by dead people (then I don’t remember what happened). we went past some wax stuff found some more dead things a couple of empty-ish rooms found the daughter (who’s daughter why are we looking what the fuck is going on) being floating and stabied I gess or about to so we ran into the room killed more dead stuff and a dude. this huge demon thing was talking to me trying to free it self I gess or just anoy me so I blew it up while everybody was sleeping (bet he is pissed now) now we going to the big city so we better be extra carefule about getting noticed by the family we do not have enough to pay off the deficit.

Why me?

Today started off so promising as Jarenthal and I started off towards Tosu today. As we arrived in town a messenger appeared, handed the master a parcel and departed. The master after reading a message informed me that an emissary of Ohgma had been abducted off the Kings Road north of Tosu and that my final training would be to secure his safe release. He also advised me to hire some help for the task from the trading post of Tosu as he would only be observing for the duration of the mission.

Upon entering the local watering hole, it became apparent that the pickings would be slim. The ones who even appeared remotely competent were a pious half orc, a surly elf, a past his prime human, and a charlatan and a pair of charlatans. After approaching each of them the only one that seemed at all concerned over the abduction was the ORC of all things. The rest only seemed to care about the money, well except for the older human at the bar who accepted without revealing why as he neither seemed to care about the abduction nor the monetary reward.

We set off the following morning after the torrential downpour had turned into just some morning misting heading north along the road. A few hours into the trip one of the twins who decided that shadowing us would be a good idea(while not even trying to actually hide!) was spotted by the elf. A ruckus ensued and I managed to pull the wool over one of the twins eye by altering my appearance and voice to that of her twin, most amusing!

Anyway, after things calmed down we all introduced ourselves like proper civilized folk and off we went. It was not very long until we came across the seen of an attack, several looters fled the scene as we approached. Several corpses were sprawled in the mud, riddled with crossbow bolts and pierced by blades. A wagon’s ruts were clearly seen in the mud leading away from the scene and we followed them.

Around dusk we arrived at a ruined temple that was guarded by a mercenary outfit with a reputation for taking any job, no matter how distasteful. The elf and I scouted out the place and set up in flanking positions while we had the main bulk of the party approach from the front. The initial contact with the enemy went well and we soon dispatched the guards and even captured one alive. He spilled the beans rather quickly with that nasty looking orc looming over him. My target had been taken deeper into the temple so with a resolute heart I rallied my companions and set forth.

After overcoming a trap we came across the priest who was in poor condition, dragging himself along with a broken leg being chased by zombies of all things. My memory fails me a bit here but a short time later we had successfully dispatched our foes and rescued the emissary, huzzah! But my joy at having rescued him was short lived when he informed us that his daughter was still being held by the miscreants. So after having stopped for a short breather and writing this journal entry we now head deeper into the temple to rescue the fair damsel in distress!